![[P1-Arkansas-Launch_detail.jpg|600]] ## About **Jonathan Porter:** A mission-driven senior data engineer with several years of experience building robust and scalable data architecture in AWS as well as providing strategic technical leadership. I'm passionate about leveraging data to make a tangible difference in the world. > [!info]- Resume > ![[Zipline-Resume-Jonathan-Porter.pdf]] When I first saw Mark Rober's [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOWDNBu9DkU) last year I was captivated by Zipline's mission and innovative technology. Witnessing the positive impact Zipline was having on communities and nature resonates deeply with me and my desire to be part of something truly impactful. I've applied to the [Senior Data Engineer](https://www.flyzipline.com/careers/open-roles/5937503003) opportunity because I believe my technical expertise paired with my communication skills make me a strong candidate to build a solid data foundation while collaborating cross-functionally to unlock data across the organization. ![[zipline-founder-quote.png]] I am excited about the possibility of contributing to Zipline's mission, tackling global-sized challenges while working alongside a team of other passionate individuals. ## Portfolio I've included some of my work experience which I believe highlights the skills Zipline is looking for in this role. ### Mainstay: Data Platform (Current) Mainstay is a leading EdTech company that provides a personalized student engagement platform to help universities in the U.S. reach and nudge millions of learners to achieve their academic goals. I was the first data engineering hire and had the opportunity to build our data analytics platform from scratch to solve issues querying terabytes of data and improve data reliability. **Highlights:** - **Data Architecture:** Implemented Snowflake data warehouse with dbt core and originally Airflow for orchestration (now Step Functions). Data modeling is a combination of dimensional modeling and OBT (when it makes sense) for a balance of delivering value quickly and answering questions efficiently. - **Data Pipelines:** I use Python to extract data from APIs and custom data sources running on Lambda and AWS Batch for serverless scalable compute. For larger datasets I use multiprocessing and take advantage of Step Function's built-in mapping function to parallel process thousands of files simultaneously. For real-time data I use Kinesis and Firehose and send most of it to a landing zone for the warehouse. - **DevOps:** I set everything up using Terraform for infrastructure and AWS Codebuild for CI/CD (see below) that continuously tests code and dbt models before they go into production. Everything is containerized with Docker and local development uses docker compose services. - **Testing:** Data quality tests using dbt tests and Python unit tests. - **Self-serve Analytics:** Partnered with different departments to understand their needs and then provide training and solutions to enable self-serve. Also worked to reduce dashboard sprawl with a [dashboard tree](https://sqlpatterns.com/p/how-dashboard-trees-work-and-why) concept I've been building on. - **Dev Tea:** Revived a bi-weekly engineering lunch and learn where I shared data engineering ideas such as change data capture, SQL query optimization, AWS networking, and many more. ![[data-ops-workflow.png|500]] ### City of Boston: Vision Zero Many of the skills I highlighted above I had developed at my time at the City of Boston but I want to use these next sections to highlight some other skills instead. One I believe may be relevant is that I created the city's first automated GIS data pipeline that powers Vision Zero - an initiative to eliminate fatal traffic crashes in Boston. **Highlights:** - Used PostGIS and Python to combine several datasets and perform Geospatial transformations in an automated data pipeline. I imagine Zipline has some geospatial data and this experience may be useful as GIS knowledge isn't common for data engineers to have. [[Boston - Vision Zero|Read more...]] ![[vision-zero.png|500]] **Links:** - https://www.boston.gov/transportation/vision-zero - https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/bae68e65908f45e1bcc86fe5f089d266/page/ ### City of Boston: CityScore CityScore is a KPI that is used by Boston's Mayor to inform them of important metrics at a glance. **Highlights:** - During my time, CityScore directly influenced the reduction of EMS response times by compelling leadership to acquire more ambulances and hire more staff to meet increased demand. - This was a huge project that required technical skills such as pipeline optimization but also communication skills as I had to get buy-in from several different departments and navigate highly political environments to get access to their data (for example police data). [[Boston - CityScore|Read more...]] ![[cityscore.png|300]] **Links:** - https://www.boston.gov/innovation-and-technology/cityscore ## Conclusion Zipline is revolutionizing the way we move goods and part of supporting that mission will be a solid data foundation to empower data-driven decisions. I believe my experience in creating robust data infrastructure and excellent communication skills make me an ideal candidate for this opportunity at Zipline. I'm eager to learn more about the people I could be working with, the role itself, and about the company: Zipline.